F350 Randomly Won't Start

It's back up and running Hopefully it stays that way. By the time I got there this morning they had finished the HPOP and had it out on the road. It has started everytime since. I have a CPS in the cab and will replace that as soon as I have a chance.
While the mechanic missed the mark replacing the ICP valve he didn't charge me any labor for putting it in. I think he treated me fairly considering all the time the truck has been there and only charging me 4 hrs of labor.
I'm still not convinced the HPOP has solved the problem but time will tell.

As for mechanics being crooks, in my experience most of them are but not all. Recently had a rear wheel seal replaced by a different shop and a week later it had busted and the whole rear end was sprayed with oil. Instead of just fixing the seal they tried telling me I had to replace the brakes on that wheel and the rotor because they were soaked in oil?!?! I suggested they just wipe them off instead

Nice when a plan comes together:)

WOOT, NM got his truck back - congratulations.

Thank you!!

What I've learned being just shy of 54 is that if it's got tires,then it's a Crap Shoot! Who needs 'Vegas when you've got action like this Thread describes? Just a coupla' musings...: Learn all you can about your vehicle,even if it kills you.....Do the "Free Stuff" first(remove and clean all grounds like The Newbs' recommended)....You'll hate me when the bolts break,even after soaking things down for a week with PB Blaster,but just think what that ground's mating surfaces must've looked like.....Join a Board that supports your vehicle. Look what's been learned here,and We're Anthraciters !....Beware of cheap knock-off parts,in the end,they 'aint cheap. You don't have to experience Stealership Rape for parts,either,but do your homework for what seems to be the best bang for the buck. I've got one of the worst diesels ever made,namely a '97 Chevy C2500 with the 6.5 Turbo Diesel in it. It's got 274,000 miles on it and still going. Things can be conquered,and some issues can be headed off at the Pass. Take the system by system route and be Proactive about replacing parts that give you a Life Extension on your Rig before breaking down. It 'aint cheap,it most times 'aint easy,but it sure can beat a new truck payment for the EPA destroyed Light Truck Diesel Market out there. I love the 7.3 Powerstroke,and the 5.9 Cummins as far as Mills go. Believe it or not,down the road,I'll be buying a brand new 6.5 Long Blong now called the AM General P400. It's the GM 6.5 completely Re-Engineered(Right Down to the Metallurgy) by Navistar for the final version that had been used in the Beefed-Up Humvees.....One final thought about Mechanics-Some are Shot-Gunners and Sheisters that simply throw parts at a problem. Others are like Windy,who actually give a damn about their Craft,and their Customers......Like I said,who needs 'Vegas when you've got Action like this?!?!

windyhill4.2 wrote:ALL mechanics are crooks ????????????? Thats like saying ALL Chrysler products are good because we had a 1977 Dodge van 360 2 barrel Holley ,727 auto,we sold it with 275,000 miles, GM products are ALL good because our 1989 Chevy Celebrity 2.8L,auto ,gave us the best of service for 12 yrs, or that ALL Ford products are junk because of reoccurring issues with our 1999 F250SD & the problems with the one on this thread. Only crooked part of my mechanic work is me cheating myself of the fair wages that most people working for some company get to take home while I whittle the customers bill down so it doesn't cost them so much for the years of neglect.Maybe I should quit feeling sorry for customers bills & start feeling sorry for me working for them cheaply to make them happy while we continue to struggle. northernmainecoal,i hope you can get your trucks issues resolved & have another 250K of trouble free miles.

Well said. I was in the auto repair field for 14yrs and always slept well at night. I was always more fair to my customers than to myself.

I was always more fair to my customers than to myself.

... and that tradition persists. Where were you guys when I needed cars fixing.

Hambden Bob wrote:What I've learned being just shy of 54 is that if it's got tires,then it's a Crap Shoot!

Add steel tracks to the list. My family just got an education on what can cause an overheating problem in a Caterpillar dozer. The previous owner must have forgotten to mention it.

Let a Caterpillar dealer fix it and report. After that our little car problems will seem inconsequential.

coalnewbie wrote:Let a Caterpillar dealer fix it and report. After that our little car problems will seem inconsequential.

You could buy a new F350 for what the Cat dealer wanted to fix it.

That's sucks Rob, doesn't sound like a very good deal

I got my truck back from the garage on Monday, they told me they had fixed the problem. It started all day on Monday and seemed alright.
It didn't start Tuesday morning when I went to leave for work I was not happy and I wasn't about to have it towed. I changed the cam sensor, replaced one ground terminal on a battery that wasn't in the greatest shape and added in a few more grounds. After that it started right up, imagine that
So what could have been fixed for about 50 bucks and been done in 20 minutes took over a week and cost way more than that.
I went and got the old ICP valve from the mechanic but the HPOP was gone already becuase of a core on it

From the first page of this thread

coalnewbie wrote:When absolutely everything else has been tried and you are totally phked, listen to CN but only as a last resort and everything single thing else has failed. We have followed that protocol in this house for years. I have your truck and had similar weird problems and now it has been fine for about 18 months. Those faults always appear to be at the point of negative grounding. No start ...low volts .... gauges will not register, yep been there. Those suckers need a lot of amps to turn over and everything needs to be perfect. Years of use in N ME, salt, Rudolphs poop all over the road etc. It has to be an intermittent electrical fault these problems always are. I know how aggravating it must be sorry. Just trying to help here.

When garages are stumped get it out of there before they start replacing everything from the tail light forward. If it's a Ford dealer they have already screwed up many other things too... just bitter experience.

I know

Don't fret my friend knowledge is power, now you know. The school of experience is the best but the fees are the highest. You think that is aggravating wait until you are almost 70 and have gone through all this c rap but as you are old, broken down, bitter and incoherent the young bucks don't listen. Then you will understand frustration.

Now you could be good for another 200,000 miles. Keep a spare CPS in the cab and where you live pay attention to the glow plug system in winter and do a formal battery test before the season starts, after four years I would change the batteries anyway. If you have problems check in here first. There is a few of us that have your truck and we may be able to help. Poster Berlin, our bituminous expert, has been to the moon and back in his 7.3 so he knows a thing or two

GREAT TRUCK, only get rid of it when they snatch it from your cold dead hands. I'll let you know when a good alternative comes along .... don't hold your breath.



You if you really wish to be suspicious, my guess they may may have change the IPS (I even doubt that they just cleaned it up) but not h-pop and you were ripped off. If you get down to 6 mins and 8 mins on this video you can see if those bolts to the h pop were were ever removed. If not threaten to sue the bastards. Tell both people in Aroostoock County so their great reputation is at least dented. Very aggravating - I know. The CPS/grounding is such a known problem why would any mechanic not check that first - of course they knew --- bastards. . Mechanics here get all upset when I post I don't trust any of them - well, do you?? An h pop will produce a no start if that little ball is missing but not the symptoms you had and they know at least as well as I. They are either crooks or morons, either way I don't want them fiddling with my truck.

That lack of trust is why this guy with his rotten barn with a dirt floor is so busy.